Ramping Up: Panthers Kick Off Mini-Series against Tampa

The Florida Panthers are about to see a lot of the Tampa Bay Lightning.
With their Opening Night matchup on Oct. 6 fast approaching, the two intrastate rivals will close out the preseason with three exhibition games against each other. Each meeting will be held at a different location in the Sunshine State, starting with Tuesday's matchup at Amalie Arena.

"It's a team we're going to have to get familiar with," forward Frank Vatrano said. "They're one of the top teams in the league. The more you see teams, the more you see their tendencies. They've obviously got a lot of firepower on their backend, and they have a good goaltender and a lot of good forwards. We know we have to bring our best game. Not just against them, but against every team in the league. We're ready for the challenge… It's always good to have a rivalry."
The Lightning (2-2-0) won the Atlantic Division last season with a franchise-record 113 points - the third-most in the NHL. After dropping a pair of games to Carolina to open their preseason, they scored a combined 10 goals in back-to-back wins against Nashville to get back to .500.
With only a few tune-ups remaining before the games start to count, Tampa is expected to play the majority of their starters against the Panthers, including 2018 All-Stars Steven Stamkos, Nikita Kucherov, Andrei Vasilevskiy and Victor Hedman, the reigning Norris Trophy winner.
"It's a good test for us to sort of ramp it up a little bit," coach Bob Boughner said after Tuesday's morning skates at the Panthers IceDen. "There's not a lot of time left before the real deal. It's a team that we're playing the first game [of the regular season], so I expect a little more intensity tonight and a little more head-to-head against the top-six on each team at least."
Looking to match the talent on the other end of the ice, Boughner said that he plans to bring a similar amount of stars into Tampa, including the team's projected top-six forward group that features Aleksander Barkov, Nick Bjugstad, Evgenii Dadonov, Jonathan Huberdeau, Vincent Trocheck and Mike Hoffman, who is entering his first season with the Panthers.
"I'm looking forward to the challenge we have tonight," said Hoffman, who was acquired in an offseason trade with San Jose. "For myself, I'm trying to get the systems down as quickly as I can, figure out my routes before this regular season starts. That way we go into the regular season just reacting to plays. Right now, I'm kind of thinking where I have to be on the ice, which can be a second or two slower. Sometimes, that's all players need in this league."
A power-play specialist, Hoffman said he's also looking forward to more work on special teams.
"There was a good amount of time last game in Montreal," said Hoffman, who ranks tied for 15th in the league with 13 goals on the man advantage over the past two seasons. "The more reps we can get in during the exhibitions, it should help us once the regular season starts off."
James Reimer will make his second consecutive start for the Panthers (2-2-0) after helping lead the team to a 4-3 overtime win against Dallas on Saturday in Tulsa, Oklahoma for his first win of the preseason. Backing up Reimer will be Roberto Luongo, who is expected to see action in the two final games of the preseason before serving as the team's Opening Night starter.
"We want to have Louie play the next game and after that we'll make a decision on the final night," Boughner said. "I expect Louie will get the majority of the last two [preseason] games."
Following Tuesday night's tilt in Tampa, the Panthers will travel to Orlando to face-off against the Bolts in a neutral-site game at the Amway Center - home of the NBA's Orlando Magic - on Thursday. From there, the two teams will head to Sunrise for one final exhibition game at BB&T Center on Saturday -- Florida's final home game until the club's Home Opener on Oct. 11.
"It's winding down here as far as training camp goes," said winger Nick Bjugstad, who is tied for the team lead with two goals this preseason. "We've really got to amp it up as these games go on. I think we're playing a lot of guys tonight, so it'll be good to see how everyone fits and gels. We can't wait for the first game to be ready. We've got to be ready tonight."

NOTES

-- Jared McCann is tied for the team lead with two goals this preseason. The 22-year-old had a career-high 28 points (nine goals, 19 assists) in 68 games last season. He is expected to center Denis Malgin and Henrik Borgstrom on Florida's third line in Tampa.
-- Borgstrom will make his fourth appearance of the preseason on Tuesday, which is tied for the team lead. The 21-year-old rookie scored his first goal of the preseason on Saturday against the Stars - a top-shelf snipe on the power play. The 23rd overall pick in the 2016 draft, the Finnish forward scored one goal in four games after making his NHL debut last season.
-- Alexander Petrovic will be back in Florida's lineup after scoring his first goal of the preseason on Saturday night in Tulsa. The 26-year-old defenseman is looking to lock down a regular roster spot with the Panthers this season after playing in a career-high 67 games in 2017-18.

PROJECTED LINEUP

Forwards
Evgenii Dadonov - Aleksander Barkov - Nick Bjugstad
Jonathan Huberdeau - Vincent Trocheck - Mike Hoffman
Henrik Borgstrom - Jared McCann - Denis Malgin
Frank Vatrano - Derek MacKenzie - Colton Sceviour
Defense
Keith Yandle - Aaron Ekblad
Mike Matheson - Mark Pysyk
Julian Melchiori - Alexander Petrovic
Goalies
James Reimer
Roberto Luongo

RECENT TRANSACTIONS

• Sept. 24: F Owen Tippett was returned to Mississauga (OHL).
  - Sept. 24: F Mark Letestu was released from his professional try out (PTO).
  - Sept. 24: D Riley Stillman and G Samuel Montembeault were loaned to Springfield (AHL).
  - Sept. 18: F Patrick Bajkov, F Jayce Hawryluk, D Michael Downing and D Thomas Schemitsch were loaned to Springfield (AHL).
  - Sept. 18: F Blaine Byron, F Bobby Farnham, F Jake Horton, F Matt Mangene, F Harry Zolnierczyk, D Dylan MacPherson, D Linus Nassen and G Evan Cormier were released from their tryouts but are expected to report to Springfield (AHL) training camp.
  - Sept. 18: F Serron Noel was returned to Oshawa (OHL).

HOW TO WATCH

When: Tuesday, Sept. 25, 7:30 p.m.
Where: Amalie Arena - Tampa, FL
Radio: 970 WFLA - Audio stream available HERE.
Stay tuned to @FlaPanthers and @JamesonCoop on Twitter for game updates.